Bearman close to race ban with new FIA enforced penalty
The stewards have handed a penalty to Oliver Bearman for his contact with Liam Lawson during the Brazilian GP Sprint.
The Brit received a five-second penalty and an additional point on his super license, putting him at serious risk of a race ban.
The Haas driver now sits on nine penalty points accumulated over the past twelve months.
The two came very close to contact on the straight exiting Turn 3, with the stewards ruling Bearman guilty of “driving in a manner deemed potentially dangerous on the straight between Turn 3 and Turn 4.”
The stewards further highlighted that “after losing momentum at the exit of Turn 3, Car 87 was approached by Car 30, which had greater speed and was in the process of drawing alongside on the straight towards Turn 4.
“As Car 30 attempted to move alongside, the driver of Car 87 moved to the left, leaving insufficient room and forcing Car 30 to place two wheels on the wet grass.
It was also noted that, although “Lawson managed to keep control and avoid contact, this manoeuvre occurred at high speed and created an unnecessary risk.
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“The Stewards consider that the move of Car 87 constituted potentially dangerous driving, in breach of Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 e) of the International Sporting Code. As no contact occurred and Car 30 was able to maintain control, and considering consistency with comparable previous cases, the Stewards deem a 5-second time penalty and 1 penalty point to be appropriate and proportionate.”
Bearman, after the restart following the red flag, finished the race in twelfth place, just ahead of Lawson. Read the full Sprint Race report here.
Full FIA explanation
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